FOLLOW US ON

Environmental Management PolicyObjectives & Targets 2018

“We recognise that our business has an important role to play in protecting and enhancing the environment for future generations and to help secure the long-term sustainability of the Tourism/Event Industry”

To this end we the Hotel Doolin & Associated Festivals / Events are committed to taking the following action;

- To continue sound environmental practices across our entire operation - To produce an annual Environmental Plan setting out our Objectives, Targets and planned Actions - To comply fully with all relevant legislation - To minimise our waste and reduce our water consumption where possible - To reduce, Reuse, Recycle the resources consumed by our business wherever practical - To invite our customers, suppliers and contractors to participate in our efforts to protect the environment - To provide all employees with the training and resources required to meet our objectives - To openly communicate our policies and practices to interested parties - To monitor and record our environmental impacts on a regular basis and compare our performance with our policies, objectives and targets

MAJOR TARGETS & OBJECTIVES

TRANSPORTTo promote Sustainable Transport and reduce the amount of single car journeys

WASTETo reduce the waste we send to landfill by 10% in 2018

GREEN PURCHASINGTo engage with our suppliers to reduce packaging by 10% To increase usage of recycled paper products to 20% of all paper/cardboards purchased

Waste Management • Increased the number of biodegradable disposables or re-usable cups and plates on stalls and in café/bar. (Keep cups and Down 2 Earth compostable disposables).• Providing separate bins for recycling.• In 2018, we plan to utilising volunteers and potential sponsorship for the clean-up and sorting efforts. We have decided to start this in 2017 and bins will be closed by certain periods of time to ensure that it is not contaminated.• Separating waste for recycling• Providing standard, recycling and biodegradable bin bags for traders.• We offer a reuse glass policy to ensure that we reduce the amount of waste that we produce.• A message is on the lanyard information that each festival goer receives when they collect their tickets.

Transport: To get to Doolin by Bus please click here from and to Galway

"Free Cup of tea if you cycle to me"This is the first initiative of its kind in Ireland and is highlighting the fact that the best way to see the Burren is on a bike. Developed by the Burren & Cliffs of Moher Geopark and An Taisce Green Schools Travel officer Roisin Garvey, in conjunction with the Burren Ecotourism Network, the ‘Free cup of tea if you cycle to me’ scheme will see cyclists offered a free cup of tea when cycling to participating businesses.Businesses involved in the scheme are:Aillwee Cave and Birds of Prey Centre, Doolin Cave, The Burren Smokehouse, Wild Kitchen, The Burren Centre, Hotel Doolin, The Boghill Centre, Kilfenora Hostel, Burren Experience Guided Walks, Kilshanny House, The Farmyard.

Noise:• Hotel Doolin has invested significantly in equipment that monitors sound levels to ensure they are within certain parameters as a condition of license. We live in a small community and want to ensure that our neighbours are respected. There is also a sign outside Fitz’s Bar to keep noise levels down after 10pm.• Any noise pollution caused by music festivals is temporary!

Water:Doolin Folk Festival does not provide camping however there are 17 bedrooms located in the hotel which runs the festival.We prompt guests to reduce the amount of laundry that they create. Linen Re-use programme. We have eco-cycles on our in-house laundry and dryer. We check shower levels to ensure that excessive water is not used.We plan to put knee push buttons on the sink of the kitchen in 2017.We harvest rainwater at Hotel Doolin which is used for cleaning and watering plants. We source bottled water from ethical sources a contribution of which goes towards charity, this is in our food and beverage outlets as well as in the bedrooms sometimes – we fill 1L bottles of water with the filtered water system in the bar too.

Food:• We aim to use local food and drink suppliers – the more local the better! Our Dooliner beer is made in Kilmaley, Co.Clare. Our fish is sourced from Garrihys Seafood which is located one mile from Doolin Folk Festival.• We use seasonable produce.• Insist on food from sustainable sources, local suppliers include Burren Smokehouse, Celtic Salads, Anam Coffee, St. Tola’s Goats Cheese.• We Offer vegetarian and vegan food• We order from local suppliers to give them the business as well as reduce the amount of miles that need to be travelled to deliver the food.• We avoid excess packaging on food, or any packaging at all and work hard with our suppliers to get them to take away food packaging as much as possible.• We separate food waste for composting• Encourage (or insist) on food grown and reared using environmentally positive practices.• Tell the audience what we are doing! This can be seen on the information on the lanyard and our website.

Land:Doolin Writers Weekend & Doolin Folk Festival location takes place at Hotel Doolin and the location has to be taken care of in order to be ready for weddings the following week. This is one of the reasons why we do not want the festival to be become too big. The community spirit and feeling of the festival is of utmost importance.We use the land to the best of our ability, we have a polytunnel and have raised beds this year too.

Social Responsibility:The Hotel Doolin Team are extremely dedicated to social responsibilities. We are working to fundraise for the charity Elevate in 2017 & 2018. The MD, John Burke was the first man from Co. Clare to climb Mount Everest and set up the not for profit organisation “Elevate” which will support youth wellness in Clare. The programme will be ready to roll out in Clare schools in September 2017 and will become nationwide in due course hopefully. We have fundraised for Pieta House, West Clare Taking Care, St. Vincent De Paul to name but a few. We have raised in excess of €20,000 in the last year. We support local schools and events as much as possible and have proof of this should anyone wish to see this.